“Soft” Republican Makes Pitch to Democrats

In Nunda Township, the challenger for township assessor is Alan Weaver. He is running against incumbent Dennis Jagla. Weaver is now the appointed assessor in the much smaller Alden Township between Harvard and Hebron.

Democratic Party candidate for Nunda Township Trustee Patrick Murfin has taken offense to a mailing whose most prominent visual is a red, white and blue donkey.

Murfin has written the following on his web site:

“I came home from work and was mystified to find a slick postcard mailing (click to enlarge) splashed with Democratic blue and featuring prominent donkey logos promoting Alan Weaver for Nunda Township Assessor.

“I went to his campaign web site and confirmed that he is running in the Republican primary.

“My guess is that this was a special targeted mailing to Dems to get us to vote in the Republican primary under the theory that anyone opposed to the incumbents are our allies. It does mean that he is pretty well financed for a Township campaign if he can afford to print and send a special mailing to Democrats.
“I am not sure if he will succeed in attracting any votes.

“I think his message is confusing.

“And as a real Democratic candidate for office in Nunda Township, I certainly won’t be voting in a Republican primary or encouraging anyone else to do so.”

Democrats in Nunda Township, of course, decided not to hold a primary election to select their candidates. They held a party caucus on one of the coldest nights of the year.

That means the only candidates on the ballot on February 24 in Nunda Township are Republicans.

The same situation exists in Algonquin, Dorr and Grafton Townships.

People who don’t consider themselves Republicans can vote in the GOP primary in those four townships. They will have to sign a piece of paper saying they are a Republican, but Illinois does not have a closed primary. People can switch back and forth anytime they want to.

But, back to what Weaver has done.

I asked him for a comment and here it is:

“As you know, the number of people who vote in primaries is small. I mailed postcards to everyone who has voted in a primary in the past based on the records from the County Clerks office.”

I inquired further and got this reply:

“I mailed two separate cards for a simple reason.

“Even though one party did not field a candidate, there is still a choice in the election.

“ALL the voters need to be able to have a choice and decide for themselves who is the better choice for them, even if the choices are from the same party.

“If the voters decide not to particpate in the election process, that is their choice. They also cannot complain when they have not exercised their right to make a change.”

Can’t you see a comparison piece from the incumbent using the donkey symbol that Weaver has used in the piece above?

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If you get mailings during the campaign, I would appreciate your mailing them to me or scanning them and emailing them to me.


Comments

“Soft” Republican Makes Pitch to Democrats — 2 Comments

  1. My response to Mr. Murphin who had emailed me was:

    “I am truly sorry that you found my mailing to be offensive. If you had truly read the card, you will notice that I made it perfectly clear that I am running in the Republican primary. You will also notice that I am running for Assessor and not Clerk.

    As far as Democratic and Republican voters are concerned, I garnered much support from Democrats the last time I ran against the incumbent. This is the same person I am running against today. As for your accusation of a well financed campaign, you can’t be farther from the truth. My entire budget is XXXX. I am reusing my signs from the last campaign, I print my own brochures on my own printer at home, I bought X postcards on the internet for $X. My mailing went to Republicans, Democrats, Greens, etc. The postage is costing me the most at $X. The economy is definitely a consideration in my campaign and does put a financial strain on my family.

    If you had payed attention to the content of my website, you will take note that I am not a politician. I have been dubbed a “soft” Republican by my own party and snubbed by them as well. All for taking the position that I will look at all the candidates and make my choice to vote based on the person I think will do the best job regardless of party affiliation. By the way….I’m married to a Democrat.

    So…the next time you want to jump down someone’s throat – – try talking to them next time; perhaps they are not the enemy that you think they are!”

    A good Democrat friend of mine told me: “Beautiful ! ! ! Patrick Murphin fancies himself something of a “public speaker” and has been touted at “green” gatherings for his wordsmith abilities. I’d LOVE to share his poorly written e-mail with people and let them see him for his truly unpolished self. I have always found him to be absolutely self-serving. Your response was true, direct, and strong. Perfect!”

  2. I also find it interesting that Mr. Murphin’s blog will not accept comments. Is he afraid of true dialogue??

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